Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to medical devices, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for detecting disorders and symptoms caused at least in some instances by abnormal activity within the cardiovascular system.
Discussion of Related Art
Syncope may be defined as a transient loss of consciousness resulting from an insufficient presence of oxygen in the brain. Typical symptoms progress through dizziness, clamminess of the skin, a dimming of vision or greyout, possibly tinnitus, complete loss of vision, weakness of limbs, and physical collapse. Syncope can be caused by a number of cardiovascular, neurological, or other factors.
Although a syncopal event itself is not fatal by definition, the event may be indicative of underlying cardiovascular dysfunction which can involve a high risk for the patient to suffer a life-threatening arrhythmia, such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, bradycardia, or asystole.
Since loss of consciousness can be a symptom for a variety of conditions, the patient requires a thorough examination and testing in order to determine the cause of syncope. Traditional methods of evaluating a patient who presents with syncope include a blood test, a tilt table test, an electrocardiogram (“ECG”), or a heart monitor (e.g., a hotter monitor, loop recorder, or event recorder). When performing the tilt table test, the patient is strapped to a table, the table and the patient are reoriented from a lying to standing position, and the patient is observed to determine if syncope is triggered by body position.
When using a hotter monitor, loop recorder or event recorder, the device records the heart rhythm during daily activities over a period of time. Some recorders allow the patient to place markers on recordings when certain events occur or allow the patient to trigger a recording. These types of devices are typically worn between 1 and 60 days.
In many cases, the exact cause of syncope may go undetected. Syncope may occur randomly, and it may not be possible to duplicate in a monitored setting.